‘All right. Goodnight, then,’ she says.
‘Goodnight.’
‘What are you going to do?’ Holly whispers.
‘I’m going to check the fuse box.’ I grab my phone for light, unhook my robe from the back of the door and shrug it on. The sky lights up again, illuminating Holly. She looks terrified, wringing her hands together.
‘I’ll be right back,’ I whisper.
I rush down the stairs in my bare feet. I glance out of the window, and the darkness outside tells me it’s not just us. It’s not a tripped breaker; the whole street seems to be suffering the same fate.
In the utility room, I check the fuse box anyway using the light from my phone. It all looks normal. Then I open the door to the garage. I don’t know why. I suppose I want to take a look at the freezer, but there’s nothing to see.
I’m keeping the door open with my fingertips, and I’m about to turn around when I hear something. A strange whisper. Like someone opened their mouth and breathed out.
My heart explodes. I drop my phone as I clasp my hand over my mouth. Then the door suddenly slams behind me. As I am standing there, in the pitch-black, I know, I just know, there’s someone here with me.
Of course, my first thought is that it’s Max. He’s clawed himself out of the freezer. I’m about to scream when she says my name in a low voice.
‘Kate?’
‘Oh my God, Teri. You scared me to death. What the hell are you doing in here?’
‘I was looking for the fuse box,’ she says softly.
I can’t see her. I don’t even know where she’s standing. Somewhere on the far side? Near the shelves?
Near the shelves where I keep the key to the freezer lock? Don’t be stupid, Kate.
My heart is thumping so loudly I can hear it in my ears. I’m shaking all over.
‘The fuse box is in the utility room,’ I say, crouching down, searching for my phone. I find it, pick it up and fumble to turn it on.
‘Then, what are you doing here?’ she asks softly.
I press the side button on my phone. The screen lights up, and I use it to scan the room.
She’s standing a few feet away, near the other side of the freezer. The light from my phone isn’t enough to see her face properly, but a shiver runs down my spine nonetheless.
‘It’s not just us,’ I say. ‘It’s the whole street. Come on. Let’s go back to bed.’
I turn around and hold the door for her. She slips past me, as quick and agile as a cat. And all I’m thinking is,how come she’s not limping?
But then, in the living room, she walks carefully back to her room, holding onto furniture along the way. And she is definitely limping.
‘Sleep well, Kate,’ she says softly.
It’s me. I’m going mad. I’m losing my mind.
‘He’s going to smell,’ Holly hisses when I get back upstairs.
She’s still in my bedroom, right where I left her. I close the door, my heart still racing, and take her wrists. ‘It’s going to take days,’ I whisper. Although I know it isn’tdayssince I looked it up. ‘He’s not going to thaw in five minutes. Or even a few hours.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. I’m sure.’
Without asking, she slips into my bed.
